The evaluators of the RBS (Research for Better Schools, Inc.) Career Education Program were confronted with the need for an instrument which would assess student attitudes toward learning environments which were not limited to traditional school settings. This study reviews the development of the Assessment of Student Attitudes Scale (ASA). The…

A student's choice of an answer to a test question is a coarse measure of his knowledge about the subject matter of the question. Much finer measurement might be achieved if the student were asked to estimate, for each possible answer, the probability that it is the correct one. Such a procedure could yield two classes of benefits: (a) students…

A picture-board sociometric interview for preschool children is described and information on reliability and validity is presented. While the reliability of this measure of peer popularity is low to moderate using test-retest or split-half measures, the interview data does seem to predict other relevant measures of the social behavior of young…

The primary aim of this research project was to test the hypothesis that successful teacher- and parent-mediated direct modification, by operant techniques, of youngsters' deviant behavior would tend to be followed by significant positive changes in the youngsters' self-concepts. Two studies were done. In the first, focusing on teacher-mediated…

The document states that certain steps need to be taken immediately for rectifying and containing the injustices of testing. Until such time that the State can demonstrate unequivocally that their statewide testing and evaluation program is fair to all groups, and that every student has had an equal exposure to quality school environments before…

An attempt was made to determine differences in reading achievement gains and student attitudes towards school between groups of third grade children enrolled in either modified open or traditional classrooms in the same school. The Metropolitan Achievement Test in Reading was used for pre- and posttest comparisons of achievement, and a…

Chicano and Amerindian vocabulary scale responses from the Stanford-Binet (LM) and Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children were item-analyzed for 1,009 subjects. The response patterns differed both by ethnic group and test, as well as by age. The most common, and recurring, pattern found was "level-of-difficulty" gradient…

In this paper, the author reviews a number of criticisms that have been made of the use of standardized tests in the social studies and reviews 11 general, skills, and discipline-oriented standardized tests for social studies. Standardized tests evaluating the results of the new social studies courses are open to criticism on the basis of…

Controversies centering around the accuracy of the estimates made of bilingual children's intellectual functioning and the effectiveness of prescriptive programs recommended for their subsequent development have resulted in the investigation and assessment of different instruments used for student placement in special education classes. The three…

This manual outlines the rationale for using the Criterion Referenced Test (CRT) approach and suggests specific guidelines for test developers to use in constructing test items. Methods for assessing the adequacy of a CRT are also provided. (Author/RC)

This is an interpretive manual designed to accompany the Test of Proficiency in English as a Second Language, a comprehensive test assessing production and perception skills in written and spoken English and intended for use in Grades 4-6 in Bureau of Indian Affairs schools. The manual is divided into three sections. Section one discusses English…

New legislation on education, introduced in Brazil from 1968 to 1971, addresses university entrance requirements and exam characteristics by calling for centralization of exam preparation, examinee registration, test administration, test scoring and result reporting, and the use of objective tests. The Brazilian educational structure has three…

This manual presents information on three instruments designed for surveying mental health problems in schools. Part I describes the instruments, which are two questionnaires called the School Problem Area Survey--Staff, and the School Problem Area Survey--Students, and a guide to be used in interviews, called the Demographic Information Form as…

This report briefly summarizes the educational progress of a sample of children who took part in one of the earliest Head Start programs (1966). The report addresses the following questions: (1) Was participation in Head Start a factor in preventing retention in grade and/or special class placement? (2) Were there differences between Head Start…

The evaluation of the Minnesota College Statewide Testing Program was based on analysis of the validities of statewide and national tests for predicting freshman grades in Minnesota colleges, on interviews with directors of admission and deans of students in Minnesota colleges, and on discussions with regional gatherings of Minnesota high school…